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Day of the Eclipse
Day of the Eclipse is an episode from the original series of ThunderCats. Written by Kimberly B. Morris, it originally aired on September 24, 1987. Official Summary Every 100 years, Third Earth experiences a full eclipse during which Mumm-Ra can cast any spell, which will last until the next eclipse. Mumm-Ra casts the Day of Decay spell on the ThunderCats, which makes all things surrounding the ThunderCats begin to corrode: Cheetara discovers malfunctions with the drawbridge; Panthro discovers that ThunderTank's weapons system has failed, and the Lair begins to fall apart -- stone by stone. After seeking temporary refuge in a tunnel with the broken ThunderTank, Panthro and Lion-O flee from the attacking Mutants. At Cats' Lair, the cat's head stops scanning and the Lunataks seize this opportunity to stage an attack. Tygra and Cheetara are blasted out of the cat's head and fall safely to the ground below. The Sword alerts and Lion-O to the Lair's siege and, using Sight Beyond Sight, he learns that the mechanical failures the ThunderCats are experiencing and the Lair's decay are due to Mumm-Ra spell. Arriving at Mumm-Ra's pyramid, Lion-O again relies on the Sword's Sight Beyond Sight to read the ancient hieroglyphics in Mumm-Ra's tomb. Lion-O uses the Sword to create a synthetic eclipse to reverse Mumm-Ra spell by blocking out the sun's powers. Lion-O succeeds and all is returned to normal. Official Moral Mumm-Ra takes advantage of a power available to him once every 100 years during a total eclipse. He chooses to cast a day of decay on the ThunderCats on which stone and steel would disintegrate and corrode. True to his words, the ThunderCats find their Lair, vehicles, and weapons all subject to dysfunction and destruction. Left vulnerable by these malfunctions, the ThunderCats are set upon by the Mutants in the Luna-Taks. Lion-O deduces Mumm-Ra's involvement and travels to his pyramid where he learns the truth about the eclipse and the spell. With the power of the Sword of Omens, Lion-O prolongs the eclipse and vanquishes the spell so that all is returned to normal. This eclipse serves as a reminder to us of several important facts about the technology that is a part of our world. Our lives are enhanced and made easier by the technological advances, whether it be items we use in our home like televisions, video recorders, or household appliances, or in school and work, like typewriters, telecommunications equipment, computers, or in our cities and nation, like water treatment plants, nuclear electric power, weather satellites, and medical diagnostic and treatment devices. But the technology is only a means to an end, and the uses to which it is put or in our control. As individuals, and as a nation, we must take care that the ends we select for the application of technology are noble and humanistic. Secondly, we can sometimes take for granted the workings of all the technology and be careless in its maintenance and upkeep. This applies to all levels of technology, from our toys and bicycles, to computers and video equipment, to home appliances and automobiles, to the advanced technology used in our industries. Like Lion-O and the ThunderCats, we can guard against accidents and failures by following a schedule of maintenance and care in taking care to assure a safe use of technology available to us. Summary The ThunderCats must break a powerful, hundred year spell cast by Mumm-Ra which causes the Cats' fortresses and vehicles to deteriorate at an alarming rate. Story On the day of a full eclipse, Mumm-Ra casts the “Day of Decay” spell on the ThunderCats. The spell would cause all of the ThunderCats’ creations to deteriorate rapidly. And since the spell is cast on the day of the eclipse, it would last until the next total eclipse, which would take place a hundred years later. The effects of the spell are felt almost immediately by the ThunderCats as the equipment inside Cats Lair start to malfunction and the lair itself starts to crumble. Ordered by Mumm-Ra, Jackalman and Monkian attack the Berbil Village with their SkyCutters. Lion-O and Panthro drive the ThunderTank to the rescue but the spell causes the vehicle to severely malfunction, hampering their mission. Inside Cats Lair, while Cheetara and Tygra struggle to keep the lair in one piece, Red Eye and Tug-Mug attack them using the Luna Tacker. The two ThunderCats try their best to defeat the Lunataks but struggle to do so due to the lair crumbling around them. Suspecting Mumm-Ra’s hand in the bizarre events, Lion-O heads straight to the Black Pyramid to find answers. Once inside, he uses the Sword of Omens’ “Sight Beyond Sight” ability to read the hieroglyphics on the walls and learn about Mumm-Ra’s spell. Despite Mumm-Ra’s attempts to stop him, Lion-O successfully manages to create a fake eclipse using the Cats Signal, ending the curse and restoring everything to normal. Characters Vehicles Locations Trivia * Only two Mutants and two Lunataks appear in this episode. * None of the New ThunderCats (Lynx-O, Bengali, Pumyra, Snarfer) appear in this episode. Goofs Notable Quotes Media This episode was released on the following media: DVD * Season 2 Volume 1 DVD * Season 2 DVD * Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Episode Screenshots External Links *ThunderCats 1985 cartoon series on Wikipedia *ThunderCats on ThunderCats.org Category:Thundercats: 1980s TV episodes Category:ThunderCats episodes written by Kimberly B. Morris Category:Season 2 (ThunderCats 1980s)